School Closes Campus
The GCISD Board of Trustees voted Aug. 14 to close its campus for 30 days and to reevaluate the policy at the next board meeting. The change will mean that students in grades 7 through 12 will no longer be able to leave the campus during the school day unless picked up by a parent. The vote was five for, one opposed (Tina Flores), and one abstaining (Tibby Niehues).
Most board members in favor of closing the campus stressed that their concern was for students’ safety, both for those who drive and for those who walk, during the heavy construction on Highway 158 in Garden City.
The board hired Johnny Willis as a history teacher and coach. Willis, who has a degree from Sul Ross University, comes to Garden City from Rochester, where he was a coach and history teacher for the last three years.
New Budget Discussed
Superintendent Steve Long presented a preliminary budget of $4.4 million, down from last year’s $5 million budget. Expected revenues are $4.6 million. Long says the projected taxable valuation is $328 million, up from $260 million the previous year. He projects a tax rate of $1.19 per $100 valuation, the highest rate possible without triggering a rollback election. The projected rate is down from last year’s rate of $1.45. The effective rate, the amount necessary to raise the same monies as last year, is $1.097.
Long told the board that he hopes to be able to put some money back into the school’s reserves, after several years of having to dip into them.
Long mentioned savings due to reductions in faculty, but said he budgeted $7,000 for a school nurse to work one day a week. He said the state doesn’t mandate a nurse, but he feels more comfortable having one in on occasion. He said he doesn’t plan to buy a new bus this year, though a third van might be necessary.
He said he is trying to lighten the workloads of Kathy Wheat, Dinette Barton and Reeann McKinnon with some minor adjustments. He cited the paperwork involved in the state PEAMS accountability system as part of the workload problem.
There will be a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 in the school administration building, and a special board meeting to adopt the budget at 7 p.m. that same day.